No. 4 Gardner-Webb Edges No. 5 Winthrop, Advances to Semifinals
Gardner-Webb defeated the Winthrop Eagles, 2-1, topping the Eagles for the second straight year to earn a spot in the Big South Conference tournament semifinals.
"It was a faced-paced, back-and-forth match tonight," said head coach Mike Varga. "We created the first goal against the run of play, and then they answered, but we were fortunate enough to score a late goal against a very good Winthrop team."
Gardner-Webb (9-10-1 overall) got on the board just seven minutes into the match when Jada Newton dribbled down the center of the field and found Alisha Holcombe inside the six. Holcombe put the ball in the back of the net from four yards out for her first goal of her sophomore year, which gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
After Holcombe's goal, Winthrop's Ashlynn Harris fended off attempts by Kylie Ameres and Gabby Berkes before the Eagles found the equalizer in the 22nd minute.
At the halfway mark of the first 45 minutes, Winthrop's Clara Conboy found Allie Thomas in the center of the box, and Thomas tied the match at one with her sixth goal of the season.
Katelyn Kellogg prevented the Eagles from taking a 2-1 advantage at the half with saves in the 40th and 42nd minutes respectively, while Berkes cleared a ball off the back line with 25 seconds remaining in the half.
Winthrop (8-7-1 overall) controlled the tempo for the first 15 minutes of the final half, placing a pair of shots on goal before the 60-minute mark, but Kellogg was able to prevent both from going into the back of the net.
Maddie Turlington nearly put a ball inside the near post in the 62nd minute, but it bounced wide of the net, and Gardner-Webb did not place a shot on target until the 79th minute when Stina Kleppe's attempt wound up in the hands of Harris.
With 10 minutes remaining it looked like the two teams were headed for overtime, but Newton had other ideas. Newton's goal in the 88th minute ensured that the contest would end after 90 minutes.
Kylie Ameres sent a ball to Aubrie Jackson who sent the ball into the box towards Newton, and the sophomore forward sent the ball past Harris into the upper left corner of the net to give Gardner-Webb a 2-1 lead.
Winthrop threatened with a corner kick with 11 seconds remaining, but the Runnin' Bulldogs' back line successfully cleared the ball away to give the home team a spot in the Big South semifinals for the second straight year.
Gardner-Webb outshout Winthrop, 16-12, but the Eagles placed 11-of-12 attempts on target. Seven of the Runnin' Bulldogs' 16 shots were on goal. Natalie Royaards and Allie Thomas each took three shots for Winthrop, while Kleppe and Berkes had three attempts for Gardner-Webb.
In goal, Harris stopped five shots for the Eagles, while Kellogg made eight saves for the 'Dogs.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will battle top-seeded High Point in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Thursday, November 7. The 'Dogs and Panthers will battle for a spot in the winner-take-all Big South championship match on Sunday, November 10.
"We'll keep doing the same things we've been doing all year (to prepare)," said Varga. "I thought we had a competitive (regular season) match with them at home. We'll try to rest and give them our best."
The semifinals and finals will be played at the Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C.